Lonely No More
by Gotham Siren
Summary: AU: Misty and Ash's daughter Holly can't wait to become a pokemon trainer. What was initially a day of Misty teaching her daughter how to throw a pokeball, welcomed a blast from the more recent past when the child breaks a window of Gary Oak's home. She offers to pay him for the damages, but he has something else in mind in terms of repayment. Egoshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, it's a new fic! Enjoy!**

 **I don't own Pokemon.**

 _Lonely No More- Chapter One_

Misty could KILL this kid, if she wasn't her own. She glanced down at the six-year-old girl, messy black hair covering up one emerald green eye, the other peering up at her mother with the most sheepish look on her face. The Gym Leader crossed her arms against her chest, not falling for this cute act. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, knock on the door and tell Professor Oak what you've done," she told her child, tipping her chin up to the home behind them. If it wouldn't come back and bite her in the ass, the redhead _wanted_ to pick her child up and scurry back across the street back to their home. But she knew well enough that karma would have her way with her had she done that.

"But mommy-"

"No buts. March your little butt over there right now, missy!" Misty countered, her voice clipped with annoyance.

What had started with a simple lesson on how to catch a Pokémon turned into a disaster. Holly Ketchum-Waterflower wanted to follow in her parents' footsteps and set on her own journey in just a short four years. She loved Pokémon and couldn't wait until her tenth birthday. Misty loved her daughter's enthusiasm and so she would often bring her own Pokémon out to steer little Holly around and teach her everything her sisters once taught her all of those years ago. Admittedly, she gets the same treatment by both sides of the family. Her ex-husband Ash Ketchum was still just as ecstatic about Pokémon as he was the day he set out on his own journey. Then there was Uncle Brock, Uncle Tracey, Aunt May- you get the drift. This child had been surrounded by Pokémon lovers since she was in the womb.

Misty and Holly lived in Viridian City, right across from Professor Gary Oak himself. Even though he had been living in Sinnoh for a good chunk of his young adult years, he moved back to Kanto to be closer to his family. And, because of that, he had met young Holly quite a few times, when she was visiting his grandfather alongside Ash. The youngest Ketchum actually was rather fond of the old professor, referring to him as Mr. Oaky Dokey, sometimes forgetting the _Mr.,_ altogether. She also liked his grandson, much to her father's disappointment. (Even though their rivalry was long over with, and the two men got along rather well, they still had a silent competition to out best each other).

The raven-haired child clung to her mother's leg, not wanting to do as her mother asked. "No, mama. What if Gar-bear gets mad?" She whined, using her nickname designated for the professor in question. Points of creativity didn't go to the child, though, she just picked up on it from her mother, who had used it to piss him off one night. Now Gary just deals with it, finding it only slightly annoying coming from a little girl.

Misty bent down and plucked her daughter off her leg, as if she was a magnemite stuck to a jolteon and held her close, kissing her temple. "What have I taught you over the years, Holly? That you have to own up to your actions. You were the one who throw the pokeball. _You_ broke the window. And now you have to admit it." She carried the child across the lawn and into her neighbor's yard. The redhead was rather nervous, especially since the home of Gary Oak wasn't a cheap one. And despite having a family connection, there was no telling what his reaction was going to be to _her_. After all, it was her fault. She shouldn't have let Holly play in the front yard. Luckily, the pokeball in question had been empty, so that was less money than she would have to spend had Holly actually broken a pokeball with one of her Pokémon in it. The mother's heart plummeted to her stomach as she saw Gary outside, looking at the broken window in question. He wouldn't snap at her child, that she knew. But boy he didn't look pleased.

A wiggly six-year-old was placed on the ground and she immediately went to hide behind her mother. It was a comical moment, Misty having to push her daughter closer to the professor, who had turned around to see what was going on. Holly wasn't having any of it. Her light-up shoes scuffed against the dirt as her mother kept pushing her forward. Finally, Misty scooped her daughter up once more and tucked her against her hip as she made her way to a very confused-looking Gary.

Sapphire eyes traveled between the mother and daughter duo before he finally broke the silence, "do ya happen to know what happened to my window? I heard a crash about twenty minutes ago. And," he paused, reaching for his back pocket and coming back out with a shattered pokeball in his hand, "I found this at the scene." He was well aware of what happened, he was just waiting for the little one to fess up.

Holly hung her head in shame, mumbling, "mama was teaching me how to throw a pokeball. I guess I got a little carried away…"

Gary looked between the girls, chuckling softly despite the situation. "Look, Squirt. I know you want the Pokémon to be weakened before you catch it, but with a right hook like that you might knock it so unconscious that Nurse Joy won't be able to save it." Then, his gaze shifted to Misty, his expression not nearly as soft. "So, how do you plan to pay me back for a broken window?"

"Money's kinda tight, but I think I can swing-"

He held up a hand to stop her. "I've got a better idea, Red. How about you help me around the house? I've got a conference to head to next week, would be _great_ to have someone clean up while I'm preparing for the trip." Gary looked smug. Misty looked worried. And Holly was just glancing between the two adults, all confused.

"Ah! Money smoney, I can write you a check and things'll be fine. Better yet, I'll even order it for you, have them come in and install the bad boy," she didn't want to play maid for Gary Oak. She barely liked playing maid for herself and her daughter.

"Nah, I like my idea better. I'll even get you a uniform to wear," Gary spoke, sending her a rather private smirk.

Was Gary coming onto her? Misty felt her cheeks begin to flush, praying to Arceus that her child didn't see it. He had used pick-up-lines on her time and time again at various functions that the group of friends was invited to, and she had always turned him down. (Well, except for the time that she had drunkenly kissed him a couple months ago. But, in her defense, Ash had said something stupid—imagine that, right? And Gary was just… there. Or, at least that was what she told herself). She and Ash had split up a couple of years after Holly was born. They were able to keep their friendship intact, but all it took was the former to put his foot in his mouth before they were arguing.

"Mommy, why is your face all red?" Holly asked, tilting her head to the side. In return, her mother brought her hand to the back of her daughter's head, situating her so that she was facing their house instead of her and Gary. And she sent him a glare in true Misty fashion. She could tell he was laughing, seeing his torso jut back and forth. "Alright, _Gar-bear_ , I'll clean house for you. But only while Holly is at school. After that, I'm picking her up and we're going home. Deal?"

The professor gave a carefree shrug, watching as Holly tried to squirm around against her mother's hip to face them again. "Work on that hook, girl. You'll be catching Pokémon in no time," he told her, ruffling up her already messy hair. And with that, he was heading back towards his house.

Misty snapped out of her trance once she heard the front door to the Oak home shut. She glanced down at her daughter, who was watching her with an innocent smile.

"I heard daddy tell Gar-bear to stop trying to get in your pants. Why does he want to wear your pants, mama? Is he gonna wear that for his uniform?"

The redhead puffed her cheeks up a bit before smiling back at her baby girl. Oh, Ash Ketchum was a dead man when he came to pick their daughter up this weekend. "I don't know, sweetie. He would look kinda silly in my pants, wouldn't he?" She spoke, going to tickle her daughter on the belly. Misty listened to Holly's giggling fit as they made their way back across the lawn to their own humble abode.

o0o0o0o0o

"Remember, count the marill as you're breathing. One, two, three, there you go," Misty whispered, rubbing her daughter's back as she took deep breaths from her Nebulizer. It was a nightly routine, the poor girl being a terrible asthmatic. She would need to breathe with this machine for about twenty minutes before she was able to go to sleep. The only problem being that this made her incredibly sleepy, so her mother came up with the idea for her to picture pokemon jumping over her bed, and she would have to count how many she saw. It kept her awake and calm during the nightly procedure.

"Mama can I sleeps now?" She spoke around the mouthpiece, her once bright green eyes turned dull as her need for sleep took over.

"Just a few more minutes. Look! Is that a pichu? Count how many you see!" Misty spoke, pointing to the empty space by the foot of Holly's bed. Her fingers traced circles against the small child's shoulder blades, almost on the brink of passing out herself. This was probably her biggest fear when it came to letting her child go out on her own in a matter of years. Would she remember to take care of her asthma? Would she come home before she ran out of inhalers? Would she remember to stay awake to finish with her Nebulizer treatment? All of these thoughts crossed Misty's mind on a daily basis. Ash seemed to think that she would be fine. But, honestly, he just didn't _think_ about all of this. That was what they fought most about. And what ended their marriage. Ash was a good father, but he and Misty would constantly butt heads with their differing parenting styles.

The slowpoke timer in the redhead's lap began to chime, signaling that the twenty minutes were up. She carefully slipped off Holly's bed and began to tuck her in. "Goodnight, my little fairy," Misty whispered, ducking her head to place a kiss on her daughter's cheek, who was already slipping off into slumber. She heard a very faint 'night mama' as she was walking out of her room, taking care to turn off the light before pulling the door to a close.

As the redhead was coming down the hall, stifling a yawn, she was met with an eager Togetic, who ran right into her arms. She hugged him close against her chest as she headed back to her room. Misty knew that she was going to need as much sleep as she could get before she went to Gary's in the morning. Ever since she kissed him, he had been cockier than normal with her—if that was even possible. After she had initiated that kiss, he had wasted no time in pulling her closer to him. Even though he broke the contact before anything past groping happened, it was like Gary still held that over her head. Like he knew he could woo her over any time he pleased.

 _Flashback_

 _Misty was fuming after her most recent argument with her ex. They had been arguing over Ash letting Holly stay up too late past her school bedtime during the weekends. The two got heated in the discussion, and the redhead was about five seconds from decking her ex-husband in front of the entire party, who was there celebrating Tracey and May Oak's engagement. Gary had gotten between the two before things could get ugly and he had pulled Misty aside to see what was going on. (He knew better than to ask Ash. Because then_ those _two would get in an argument and all hell would break loose). She explained everything and then excused herself to go get some fresh air._

 _The redhead soon lost her temper, looking back at all of the other times she and Ash fought. Misty always blamed herself, as she would be the one to start yelling. She was the one who filed for divorce._ She _was the reason why Holly would wake up from a dead sleep, creeping down the stairs to see her parents arguing. And she hated herself for it. The alcohol in her system from the evening wasn't exactly helping and fairly soon she was curling in on herself sobbing, wondering if she was just unable to have a loving relationship without fucking it up._

 _It was Gary who found her like this and she was completely unaware of his presence until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Misty peered up, meeting his gaze with her own. Had he not been flirting with her off and on all evening that touch would have probably seemed innocent. And, at first, it did. He took her by the elbow and helped her get to her feet. But Misty was so beside herself at the moment that all she did was press her face against his neck, her head tucking beneath his chin. The professor was confused, but he just wrapped his arms around her nonetheless. He was expecting her to lash out at him, tell him to beat it, he didn't expect to have his arms full of Misty Waterflower. And for reasons unbeknownst to him, he didn't mind._

 _She wasn't sure what gave her the urge. Maybe it was the close proximity. Maybe it was the alcohol. But his lips were awfully close and she was tired of feeling sorry for herself. Tired of blaming herself. She couldn't help that she was hard to love. Misty craned her neck and soon her lips were on Gary's. It took him a moment to react, but he decided to just go with it. Her hands found his neck as her arms wrapped around his shoulders all the while he grabbed her legs and hooked them around his waist. Their kiss continued, only increasing with intensity as the minutes past. He broke the contact with their lips and let his mouth travel, placing a line of kisses from her neck down to her collar bone. She only tightened her thighs further, softly moaning into his ear. And as his lips traveled back up to meet hers, he slowly lifted her dress up, one hands traveling up her thigh._

" _You're drunk. I'm sobering up. And we need to get back in there before someone comes looking for us," Gary muttered, using his other free hand to squeeze her backside._

 _Misty's face flushed, but she suddenly came to her senses as to what they were doing._

" _Maybe another time," he winked, releasing her to the steady ground._

" _If you play nice, maybe."_

 _That was all he needed to hear. Gary didn't know what came over Misty, but he was glad that it was_ him _that came out to check on her, rather than Ash. Call it whatever you'd like, but he had been pining after her for years now, ever since he came back from Sinnoh and learned that she was single. At first he thought that it was a simple lust factor. But the fact that he had to chase after her made him realize that that wasn't the case at all. Otherwise, he would just hook up with a very willing girl. Something about Misty was far more exhilarating than just another girl, and it plagued his brain to no end. Ash was one dumb son-of-a-bitch to let this one go._

 _End Flashback_

Gary might have been a lot of things to a lot of different people, but he had respected her enough to not let things get that far. Misty thought about the fact that she was now going to be _alone_ with him for an extended period of time. The lustful part of her was gearing up. But the logical part of her wanted to keep her walls up, knowing that he could very well look at this as a free booty call every day, only to act like it never happened once it was over. Maybe that night was just a fluke. It angered her to think that Gary Oak would use and ditch her like that but, really, did she think he wasn't capable of it?

Once she reached her bedroom, she flopped down in bed and let go of Togetic, reaching for her phone on her nightstand. Much to her surprise, she had a text from Gary.

[Text:

Hope you're ready to work, Red. Hope you like lace, you'll be wearing it tomorrow.]

Misty rolled her eyes. What a cocky bastard. What makes him think that she would…? Then, reality dawned on her. Her kid had broken his window. He could hold that over her head for as long as he pleased. She rolled over on her stomach, tossing her phone to the side. Togetic watched her very curiously as she groaned into her pillow.

It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

 **Sound out your thoughts below. This will be a two-shot, to prevent me producing a gargantuan one-shot in one night like I** _ **really**_ **want to. But, I also need sleep. Damn muses.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Pokémon.**

 _Lonely No More- Chapter Two_

"And _why_ are you asking me for Misty's clothing and shoe size?" asked the elder Oak sibling, her hands firmly on her hips. May had been minding her own business in their grandfather's lab when she was rudely interrupted by her brother who had some harebrained idea up his sleeve that she hadn't quite grasped yet.

Gary flopped down on the office chair his sister sat at moments before, wheeling it across the room before spinning around to face her. "She's a bridesmaid of yours, isn't she? Surely, you'd know her measurements by now."

"Well of course I do, _Gareth_ ," the brunette retorted. Her eyes danced with amusement as her brother cringed at the nickname she had been using since they were both young, you know, when she wanted to piss him off. "The dresses have already been sent away for alterations. What I'm not getting is why _you_ need to know. Did you finally get over yourself and tell her how you feel?"

He scoffed, a frown beginning to tug at his lips. "It's not like that. Never will be. Listen. Her kid broke my window and instead of payin' me back, she's gonna be playing maid for me for the next week. And I want her to look the part," he closed his eyes, smirking now. "Just something for me to look at while she's there."

"First of all, ew. I don't want to hear about your twisted freaking fantasies. Second of all, I don't know why you try and lie to me. We _all_ know she drives you crazy and you like it. Guys like you need a girl like her to give a good chase." May was practically a love guru. She could read people like you wouldn't believe. And her brother always hated that she could see right through his bullshit. Every relationship he was in, she would always have something to say. Chastising him for leading women on, giving him a _look_ every time he came home doing the walk of shame, (but, in his case, it was never a walk of actual shame). She headed over to her work station, grabbing a notepad and her glittery pen. Gary was annoyed at May's accuracy but he didn't say anything. He watched as his sister scribbled something down on it before ripping the paper off the spiral hooks. She was by his side a moment later, handing over the folded up page.

"Just so you know, if you plan your wedding before mine I will chop you up into bits and feed you to Arcanine for dinner," she smiled sweetly at her brother, prompting him to snatch the paper away and snort in reply.

"Yeah, I won't be marrying anyone any time soon. But thanks for the heads up, oh gracious one," he spoke, the latter bit of the sentence in a mocking tone.

"If you say so," she teased in a singsong, turning around to head back over to her computer.

o-o-o-o-o

Misty had dreading this all morning long, and it wasn't even just the cleaning she was dreading. It was being alone with Gary Oak. Ever since Tracey and May's engagement party, the two hadn't been alone. They hadn't gotten the time to talk. The redhead had always made some excuse to leave early when the group all got together. It wasn't that she found the man repulsive or anything. Quite honestly, she was ashamed of herself. She felt as though she had taken his rare kindness for granted. Maybe he got the wrong idea, that she was just another girl that threw herself at the world renowned Pokémon Professor. Misty _was_ interested in him, just not in the way he was generally interested in women. She wasn't blind. Any girl he brought around, she was only ever seen once. She was there for one thing only. Maybe it was a mutual understanding. Maybe he dropped them once he got what he wanted. Maybe it was a mix of both. But one thing was for sure, that wasn't the way Misty Waterflower dealt with romances. She was a romantic fool. She wanted everything; the cutesy, gag-worthy bits of a romance _and_ the hot and heavy bits of a romance. She just wasn't sure if Gary would _ever_ be willing to go along with it, and she was too stubborn to even entertain the thought.

The redhead glanced in the rearview mirror back at her daughter. She was bouncing her little feet along to the radio that Misty had pretty much just tuned out while she was stuck in her own head. They were only a few minutes away from the school. And after that, it was time to head straight to Gary's. She wanted to play it cool. Like it was just a neighborly favor. But when said neighbors had sexual tension that you could cut with a knife, things were just a teensy bit different. Misty could behave herself, but she didn't know about him. Especially considering the text he sent her last night.

About ten minutes had passed, and she was parking in Gary's backyard. Misty figured that she might as well just get this over with. She pulled the keys out of the ignition to her car and tossed them in her purse, leaving it on her passenger seat for when she was ready to go pick Holly up from school. The car door opened with a loud creak, making the redhead cringe like she did every time she got out of her vehicle. It was an old, mean machine but honestly, she wouldn't have it any other way. It was the last anniversary gift she got from Ash and she still treasured it to this day. They might not be right for each other romantically, but she will always love him. Misty didn't think anything—or anyone, for that matter, could change it.

She was about to head for the front door when she remembered something particularly quirky about Gary, causing her to stop in her tracks. He hated when people came to his front door. For whatever reason, he always preferred visitors coming around the back. She never explored the entirety of his home, but she was fairly sure that his work space was somewhere around in that area. So, it made sense that he wouldn't want visitors trotting through whatever he had going on that day. Misty climbed up the stairs leading to the back porch and opened up the screen door. Gary's home had a complete wraparound porch with furniture scattered all across. This was a way for his Pokémon to get exercise, but they were out of harm's way when he wasn't around to watch them. (Okay, so it wasn't completely fool proof. Some of his more daring creatures learned how to get that screen door open- yes, Umbreon, we're looking at you- but they never ventured too far when they did get out). As soon as the door closed behind her, she was immediately greeted with the criminal mastermind herself. Umbreon looped through her legs and peered up at her with a smile. Misty had to stop and scratch the dark type under her chin before passing by, heading to the back door that led inside. Near the bottom of the door was a medium sized flap that let the little monsters come and go as they pleased. As for the bigger ones… well, Alakazam was the help on that end. He could just teleport them, after all. The redhead curled her knuckles and knocked a few times, hoping that it wouldn't take Gary forever to answer the door. It was a cold morning in Pallet and not even the screened in porch could take the chill out of the room. After a few minutes of silence, Misty puffed her cheeks up in annoyance and pulled her phone out of her back pocket.

It rang once, twice, _three_ times before the bastard finally answered.

" _Mr. Wonderful on line one,"_ Gary greeted, no doubt grinning to himself over that little joke.

Misty scoffed into the phone. "Where the hell are you? I can't come in unless you unlock the goddamn door!"

" _So much anger in one little body,"_ he murmured before continuing, " _check under the mat. There's a spare key. Had to run and help my gramps over in the lab. I'll be back soon. Make yourself at home."_

"Did it occur to you that maybe, just _maybe_ you could have sent me a text beforehand? I'm freezing my ass off out here!" Misty whined, propping the phone up between her chin and shoulder as she knelt down to grab the hidden key. "And watch who you're callin' little! I—"

" _Hey genius, maybe you should learn to check your phone more often. I sent you a text over an hour ago."_

The redhead's cheeks began to flush in embarrassment as she let herself in. "Guess I really should pay more attention to that. Sorry, Gary. Been a hectic morning," she told him, not bothering to argue. She made her way down the hall leading into the living room and flopped down on the couch, looking around at the room. Most of Oak's Pokemon were out of their balls and wandering around. One of his more recent catches, a big ol' Gengar watched her from a far, trying to get a good feel for her. He knew that she was the subject of his master's affection, but he wanted to test her to see if she was a good fit.

Gary, surprised to hear such a wholesome reply, chuckled a bit. Misty didn't want to admit the warm, fuzzy feeling that gave her when she heard it. " _Don't worry about it. Hey, uh, I'm wrapping things up now so I'll see ya soon."_ He got the urge to warn her against his ghost Pokémon, knowing that Gengar loved playing pranks, but he figured that she couldn't get herself into _that_ much trouble while he was gone.

"'kay. See you," Misty said just before ending the call. She slumped against the couch, aimlessly scrolling through her phone, figuring that she had some time to kill before Gary showed up. But something else caught her attention mid scroll. It sounded like a faint crying. The redhead felt chills run down her spine. That wasn't a pokemon cry. That was most definitely a human. But should she get up and investigate? Or should she just call Gary back? Misty tucked her phone back in her pocket before slowly peeling off the couch, green eyes glued to where she heard the noise coming from. The sound just got louder and louder, so the redhead let her curiosity get the better of her. She grabbed the fireplace picker from where it had been propped up against the mantle and headed back down the hallway. Umbreon tried to stop right in front of her in an attempt to get her away from the heart attack that was bound to happen, but it was of no use. The redhead got about halfway down the hall before the crying ceased. Confused, she stopped in her tracks. That was when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She whirled around only to see Gengar making a face at her. It wasn't a menacing face, but it was enough for Misty to jump well into the air, arms flailing around.

The ghost pokemon fell over on his back, unable to keep his laughter in. Misty wasn't quite so amused. She went to go and pick Gengar up off the floor to give him a talking to, only to be caught by Gary coming in. All he saw was Gengar rolling around in a fit of laughter, and Misty above him shaking her fist at him. When his eyes met with the redhead's she turned her shaking fist on him.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me you had a prankster ghost? Don't tell me you texted that to me too," Misty closed the gap between her and Gary, letting her fist fall to her side. But her gaze was still penetratingly sharp.

"Guess I fucked up, there," he paused, rubbing the back of his head a bit. "Gengar just wants to make friends, Red."

"WELL HE HAS A FUNNY WAY OF SHOWING IT!" If there was one thing Misty disliked more than Bug Pokemon, it was Ghost Pokemon. She watched as Gengar floated up, hovering over his master's shoulder with a wide grin stretching across his lips.

"Geeeeen," he cried, nearly startling Gary by being so close to his ear. Granted, he wasn't quite used to this himself. The professor nodded towards his pokemon, as if he understood what he was saying.

"He says you passed the test. Whatever that means," he shrugged, then promptly nudged Misty with his elbow, a playful smirk gracing his features, "c'mon, let's go get you into that uniform of yours."

Misty grumbled under her breath, crossing her arms against her chest as she followed him further down the hall. "Greeaaaaat. Can't wait."

o-o-o-o-o-o

"Gary Oak you've GOT to be kidding me right now," she shouted from the guest bathroom, having only just turned around to look in the full-view mirror on the back of the door. The dress looked short, but it appeared to be even shorter on her. It was a sexy maid Halloween costume that was basically a sleeved corset and a short, lacey skirt. Said skirt just _barely_ covered her upper thigh. And, to go along with it, he had paired it with a set of kitten heels. "There's no way in HELL I'm working like this. Especially not around a horndog like you!"

"You won't even give me a quick fashion show?" He asked, startling Misty in the process with his voice coming from the other side of the door. He was obviously trying to sound pitiful, but all it did was make the redhead scoff.

"No, you perve! I came to clean your house, not to co-star in a porno," she called out to him, her blood beginning to boil as soon as she heard him chuckling at her.

"A porno, huh? I wasn't thinking of that, but now that you mention it-" Gary was having too much fun picking on her. He would _never_ force anything on her, but this was all just entertainment.

Misty groaned from her side, trying desperately to pull up the corset. Her bust was spilling out in the most uncomfortable way. "In your wildest dreams, Oak," she threw back at him, still trying to work the damn thing.

"Yours too, _Waterflower_ ," he was now leaning against the wall next to the door, arms crossed over his chest with one foot propped up against the wall. Like a damn fly boy.

She couldn't stand it anymore. She wanted to ring his neck with every fiber of her being. Misty shot out of the bathroom and gave Gary the epitome of stank eyes, and all he did was look at her from head to toe, completely ignoring her death stare.

"Do you _want_ to die?"

"At least I'll die a happy man."

Misty elbowed him in the gut, causing him to jolt forward a bit in surprise. "Well, glad you got to see the show, but I'm going to put my clothes back on. I'd rather not-" before she knew it, Gary had her pressed against the wall, his lips hovering over her ear.

"Or you could just be wearing nothing at all," he whispered into her ear. "C'mon. Did you really think I wanted you over here just to clean my house?" Gary made no further advancements. He knew what he was doing. Arceus knows, he did it enough. But this time, he wasn't doing it for some fling. Hell, he didn't even think Misty would even try on the outfit. He thought she would smack him before even going as far as changing into that skirt, much less the whole ensemble. This was definitely a pleasant surprise. He had a plan up his sleeve.

There was a part of her that wanted to push him away. The same part that pushed away _any_ man that looked at her like that. But there was also a part of her that wanted to say fuck it and just let go. To knock her walls down. "So, you invited me over for a booty call?" she asked, peering up at him. Gary just laughed at her.

"No. Actually, I wanted to show you something." And, just like nothing had happened, he had released his grip from her, leaving her more than flustered. He spun on his heels and headed down the hall, motioning for Misty to follow him. But what she didn't see was the triumphant grin on his face. He knew he was winning this war.

"C- can I change first?"

"If you want. Meet me upstairs, in the study."

Who would have known that Gary Oak was the King of mixed signals? The redhead sighed and hurried back into the bathroom, relieved to be able to get back in her normal clothing. A baby blue long-sleeved blouse and her favorite pair of jeans. She would take that over this slutty get-up any day. As she was changing and heading upstairs towards the study (she was still trying to figure out what room that was in), she kept playing over and over again about what just happened. Was he playing around with her? Was he serious? It was enough to cause a fire down below, that much was for sure.

By the time she reached Gary, she found him knelt down in the corner of the room with what looked like medication for a sick pokemon tucked in his hand. The closer she got, the better she saw what was going on. He was knelt in front of a one-tailed vulpix. It was the smallest of its kind Misty believed that she had ever seen. "Where did you-"

"I found her. Crying in the woods behind the house. She must have gotten left behind by her parents," he quickly administered the medicine, prompting the vulpix to whine. Gary then peered up at Misty, looking more serious than any previous time he had looked at her today. "I wanted to ask you to look after her while I'm gone. Though I wouldn't say no to any _other_ activities afterwards," there he went, grinning again.

Misty grabbed her trusty mallet and whacked him upside the head with it. Playfully, of course. "Why me? Professor Oak, or even May could look after the little one. At least they're more seasoned with what to do." She knelt down beside Gary to get a good look at the baby. Vulpix picked her head up and stared at Misty for a moment, visibly unsure of the stranger danger in front of her.

"I saw the way you took care of Togepi all of those years ago. And I see the way you treat Aqurill now. They're like your children, too. I want to know she'll be well taken care of while I'm gone, so I want to leave her with you," he explained, sparing her a ghost of a smile.

"Of course. I can do that," Misty was honestly flattered that he trusted her enough with this. "The potion you gave her… does she need that every day?"

Gary gave a quick nod. "It's for immune support. Packed with vitamins and nutrients that she's not getting from her mother. Once a day is all she needs, though. But, I like to sit with her afterwards. It appears she needs the physical contact, though she is a bit timid." He reached over with one hand for Vulpix to sniff, chuckling softly when she bumped her nose against his hand after smelling it.

Misty planted her butt on the floor and leaned over Gary to reach out to the baby pokemon with the palm of her hand outstretched. Both of them were well aware of the proximity as she pressed against him, but neither of them seemed to mind. "For a perve, you sure know your stuff," the redhead peered up at him, sending a wink, "gotta say I'm impressed."

The brunet smirked back at his favorite redhead in return, "you act like you've doubted me in the past." And with the pointed look he got from Misty, he waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright. So, will you do this?"

"Of course." Misty couldn't help but be in awe of this moment. She had never seen Gary look so… soft. He really did care about pokemon, not just the ones he caught. He might have been a douchebag when they were growing up. But now… he had matured so much. (Well, in some aspects. He still was a horndog, after all). Maybe she should consider letting her walls down. "Hey, Gary?"

"Yeah?"

"We never talked about that night. That… party May and Trace threw celebrating their engagement. And you and me-"

"We're both consenting adults, Misty. We don't have to be so discreet about broaching the subject," he ran his hand across his stubble-d chin, looking over at her again. "We both had too much to drink, and we kissed."

"I don't know how you can be so matter-of-fact about this. Had you not stopped me—"

Gary unintentionally stopped her by wrapping his arm around her shoulder. But since she stopped talking, he might as well fill in the blanks. "Little Red Riding Hood, I'm going to tell it to you like this. I didn't _want_ to stop you. But I respected you enough to know that you were only upset with Ash." He hadn't meant to make this half-embrace he had her in so emotionally charged, but here they were. They both could feel it.

"That's not the only reason why I kissed you," she admitted, looking down at her lap rather than at him. "I was upset, yeah, but I also just wanted that—"

"You wanted the Gary booty. You can say it," he teased her, prompting her to whack him in the chest half-heartedly, her gaze shooting up to his once more.

"I want _more_ than that. You should know by now that I'm a hopeless romantic." Misty let those words hang in the air, half expecting Gary to come up with another joke. But, what happened next threw her for a loop. He brought her in closer to him, his free hand coming up to cup her cheek. "What are you doing?" She asked in a breathless tone, watching his every move like a hawk.

"Giving you more."

His lips met with hers and from there it was a sealed deal. The redhead pulled herself on his lap, arms wrapping around his shoulders. Gary let her get comfortable before his arms hooked around her waist to keep her there, almost as if he was afraid she would just disappear. It was foreign for him to fear losing someone. He had made it a life goal not to get attached to someone, not after his dad left. But, somehow, someway, he was willing to make a sacrifice for one Misty Waterflower. May was going to gloat for- well, maybe ever. But he figured that it didn't really matter. Not right now, anyways. In his own little way, he had been trying to let Misty know from the start with how he felt. The two had always had an interesting dynamic, even if it was only within the last few years that they got to know each other, fully. And while all of his previous attempts of manning up had been futile, it looked like things were starting to look up.

Vulpix watched as the pair continued to lock lips, apparently unaware of her presence anymore. Her one little tail flickered back and forth, content just to lay there. She didn't know what was going on, but her master seemed happy, so that was enough for her.

 **Well, here we are! Hope y'all enjoyed!**


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